USA > Indiana > Elkhart County > History of Elkhart County, Indiana; together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history: portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 84
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1874, and re-elected in 1875. In 1871 he married Miss Sarah A. Mather, daughter of Judge Joseph II. Mather, of the Circuit Court. His household has been brightened by 2 daughters. Dr. McDonald is yet in the prime of life, and has the cheerful appear- ance of a gentleman with whom time and fortune has dealt with a gentle hand.
Francis A. Merriman was born in Sangamon county, Ill., Sept. 5, 1830, and is a son of Reuben and Betsey Merriman. He was raised on a farm, and was educated in the common schools and the Springfield, Ill., high school. He came to this county in 1868, and carried away one of Elkhart tp.'s fair damsels, in the person of Chloe Sparklin, daughter of Azel Sparklin, one of the first set- tlers of Elkhart Co. Mr. Merriman had, however, been married previous to this, in 1858, to Miss Emma Bishop (now deceased), who bore him 5 children; of these 2 are living, Eddie and Mary.
Thomas Miller was born in Germany in December, 1818. His parents were also Germans. He came to Lancaster, Pa., in 1831, and to Richland, Ohio, in 1833. In 1836 he came to this county, where he has since resided. IIe early became accustomed to hard work, and enjoyed but limited educational advantages. He is therefore a self-made man. IIe was married in 1841, to Miss Susannah Ulery who came to this county in 1830. They have 7 children, viz .: Margaret, Sophia, Caroline, Mary, Sarah, Lydia and Franklin T. Mrs. Miller died in 1854, and he again married in 1871, this , time Catharine Ferguson, a native of Dublin, Ireland, who came to this county in 1844, all alone. In 1842 Mr. Miller opened a farm on sec. 5, which he still owns. He is the present Tp. Trustee for Elkhart tp., and in politics is Democratic. Mrs. Miller is a member of the Episcopal Church.
Hon. Joseph A. S. Mitchell, familiarly known by his townsmen as " Capt. Mitchell," was born in Franklin county, Pa. His father, Andrew Mitchell, was a farmer by occupation and died in 1840; respected and esteemed by all who knew him. His mother's maiden name was Sarah Lecron, and died in July, 1880, in the 76th year of her age. His father was of Scotchi descent, and of Presby- terian proclivities. His mother was a French lady, born and raised in the State of Maryland. Capt. Mitchell exhibits striking characteristics of both nationalities. That sterling integrity and steadfastness to his opinions and convictions, which have given him a name to live among his fellow citizens, is eminently Scotch; that courtesy of manner and cheerfulness and elasticity of temper which have distinguished him as a genial gentleman among his fellow men he undoubtedly owes largely to his mother. Capt. Mitchell came to Indiana while he was comparatively a boy. His education was begun in the common schools of Pennsylvania. At the age of 17 he went to Illinois and attended college at Blan- dinsville, where he was also tutor for one year. In 1856 he returned to his native State, and began the study of the law, at Chambers- burg, in the office of Riley & Sharp. He was admitted to the Bar
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in 1859. During the following summer he traveled through the Sonth, and, having finished his tour, came to Goshen in the autumn and began the practice of the law. His professional career at that period was of short duration, for soon his country's peril called him to arms. He enlisted in the 2d Indiana Cavalry, and served in that regiment two years. He was immediately made First Lieutenant of Co. M, and subsequently was promoted to the Captaincy, and assigned a position on Gen. McCook's staff as Inspector-General, which position he held until the close of the war. When the war elosed, and the Army of the Cumberland, to which his, the First Division, belonged, was disbanded, Captain Mitehell returned to Goshen and resumed the practice of the law, for which his subsequent career showed that he was eminently fitted, the firm of Baker & Mitchell being one of the most prominent and successful in Elkhart county. Capt. Mitchell was elected Mayor of Goshen in 1872, and served his term with acceptability. He has always been a Democrat, and active for the promotion of his party's views and measures, though he has eschewed office-seeking, choos- ing to promote his professional interests rather than to squander his energies in a scramble for official position.
In November, 1865, he was married to an estimable lady. Miss Mary E. Defrees, daughter of Hon. Joseph H. Defrees of Goshen, and their children were a son and a daughter. Recently a cloud of be- reavement has overshadowed Capt. Mitchell's household by the death of his son. Capt. Mitchell is yet in the prime of his manhood, and occupies an enviable position in his profession and in society.
Dr. John K. Mulholland, homeopathie physician, has experi- enced a life of such noteworthy character as particularly entitles it to be recorded in this volume. He has made manifest the fact that enthusiasm in a life purpose is the great requisite for success, and that when this element is present seemingly impossible departures from a beaten track of habit and pursuit ean be made with fortu- nate results. There seems to be no congruity between the character and habits of a merchant tailor and that of a physician; yet Dr. Mulholland has shown his capacity to change from the former to the latter, even in middle life, when age and practice should seem to make such a right-angled departure very difficult, if not impos- sible. Dr. Mulholland was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1832. He was the son of Franeis and Cecilia (Kelley) Mulholland. His father was of pure Irish descent, while his mother was of Scotch-Irish parentage. The elder Mulholland was a gentleman of competence, and was able to give his son good opportunities for early school- ing. The Doctor's mother died when he was young. At the age of 18 he left his native land, following the example of so many of his countrymen by coming to America. He landed in New York and remained there 12 years. In 1860 he sought his fortune in the West, and located in Goshen. At length he engaged in the clothing and merchant tailoring business on Main street, a business which he successfully pursued for 11 years. In 1872 he sold his stock in
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trade to parties from Sonth Bend. The desire to study the homeo- pathic system of medicine had taken possession of his mind, and after he had sold his business he prepared to satisfy that desire. In due process of time he took a course of lectures at Hahnemann Med- ical College, Chicago, and gradnated in 1878. Soon afterward he began practice in Goshen. Some of his friends advised him to seek another location, on the grounds that a prophet liath no honor in his own country and among his own kindred; but he was actu- ated by much enthusiasm in his calling, and seeming to think that a steadfast, honest purpose and devotion to his work would win at home if anywhere, he set to work, opening an office in Masonic block, Main street. His experience as a homeopathic physician has only added to his zeal in the profession, and success has re- paid him for his effort.
Dr. Mulholland was married to Miss Anna Hill in Nashville, Tenn., in 1859, where he had spent a period before coming to Goshen, in 1859. This lady died at Goshen in 1866. He was again married in 1868, the wife of his second choice being Mrs. L. E. Knapp, a widow with 1 daughter. Dr. Mulholland is a Knight Templar and Master of Bashor Council, Goshen.
J. M. Noble, one of Goshen's leading manufacturers and most enterprising citizens, was born in Norwich, Muskingum Co., Ohio, in 1845. His father is Louis H. Noble, a well-known citi- zen and manufacturer of Goshen. His mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Motte. Both parents are of English descent. Mr. Noble spent his childhood until he was four years old in Norwich, when, in 1849, he removed with his parents to Goshen. He attended district school until he was 14 years of age, when he went to Evanston, Ill., and passed through a course of instruction in the Northwestern University, remaining there one year. He after- ward attended a commercial school in St. Louis and graduated there. On his return to Goshen he engaged in the hardware busi- ness as clerk for one year, when he embarked in the same line on his own account in Bourbon, this State. At the end of one year he returned to Goshen and engaged in the hardware trade with his father, the relation being maintained till 1873. During this year, the firm embarked in the hard-wood lumber trade, which soon de- veloped into large proportions. For three years the company fur- nished all the black-walnut lumber used by the Singer Sewing- Machine Works at South Bend. During this time the Nobles handled more black-walnut lumber than any three firms in the State, and dealt in other hard-wood lumber besides. At length the firm launched into the manufacture of school furniture, an in- dustry that has developed into one of the most important in Goshen. Mr. Noble was at the same time individually engaged in the Goshen Woolen Mills. He is still connected with all these lines of business.
In 1868 Mr. Noble was married to Miss Abba Boylan, of Wal- cott, N. Y., danghter of Aaron Boylan, of that place. Two sons
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have been born to them. Mr. Noble has taken great pains to beau- tify and adorn his home on Market street. Its exterior is a model of residence architecture, but its interior is undoubtedly the finest in the State or the West. It is finished with a great variety of woods, selected with great care as to beauty and variety by Mr. N. himself. Mr. Noble is a member of the M. E. Church. In politics he adheres to the Democracy, and he is a Master Mason. He is a re- markably successful man in business, having never taken hold of an enterprise of which he did not make a success. Already a wealthy man, he has not yet reached middle life, and if fortune smiles upon him in the future as in the past, still greater achieve- ments await him. See pages 917-'8.
L. HI. Noble is one of the leading manufacturers of Goshen. He is the senior member of the firin of Noble & Son, manufact- urers of school furniture and dealers in hard-wood lumber, an account of whose large business appears in another place in this history. He was born in Brownsville, Fayette Co., Pa., April 7, 1816. His father was Joseph T. Noble, and his mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Turner. His parents moved during his boy- hood to Zanesville, Ohio. His early education was obtained in district schools. The elder Mr. Noble was engaged in the hotel, business in Zanesville. When Mr. N., the subject of this sketch, was 22 years of age he engaged in the dry-goods trade in Ohio which he continued until he came to Goshen in 1849. Here he established himself in the same line of trade and did business for eight years thereafter. For some time he had a partner named Maxfield. At length he engaged in the hardware trade, with Charles E. Lawrence as partner, and during this time branched out in the hard-wood lumber business, an enterprise that eventuated in the present lumber and furniture establishment of L. H. Noble & Son.
Mr. Noble was married at the age of 22 to Miss Elizabeth Motte, by whom he has had 2 sons and 2 daughters. Both sons are engaged with him in the furniture and lumber business. One of the daughters married Mr. Joseph Jenkinson, a lawyer of Fort Wayne, and the other, Mr. F. A. Hascall, brother of the noted Gen. M. S. Hascall, of Goshen. Mr. Noble has been a man of remark- ably successful career, and now resides in a pleasant home on Fifth street, where himself and his estimable lady can, with satis- faction, reflect upon their past life of industry and usefulness, and comfort themselves with the knowledge that the competence that their own hands have brought them shall cheer them in their declining years.
Wm. H. Norton, of the Goshen Democrat, was born at Penn Yan, Yates Co., N. Y., March 4, 1836. He was the son of Asa A. and Mary E. (Stokes) Norton. His parents removed to Goshen when he was a small child, and settled on a farm one and a half miles from town. At the age of 15 he went to Indianapolis to learn the printer's trade, and was employed in the office of the
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Statesman, then under the control of Dr. Ellis, who was at that time Auditor of State. He remained there three years, when he returned to Goshen, attended school a while, and afterward went to Chicago. He was employed in the Chicago Democrat office when " Long " John Wentworth controlled that paper. When the Pike's Peak fever broke out Mr. Norton was swept away by the wild rush and remained out at the mountains two years. He seems to have struck something of a lead, for he returned to Goshen in 1861, bought the Democrat office, and conducted the paper till 1863. He then sold it to Hon. Robt. Lowry, and removed to Fort Wayne, where he purchased a job-printing establishment and continued business there till 1869, when he sold out and returned to Goshen. Since that time he has mostly been connected with the Democrat. He was married in 1864 to Miss Eliza J. Foote, of Hillsdale, Mich. They have 4 children. Mr. Norton is a member of the Masonic order, and votes the Democratic ticket.
A. M. Parsons, Esq., member of the Common Council of the city of Goshen, was born in Lewis county, N. Y., in 1831. He was the son of Aaron and Lucina Parsons. He lived at home till he was 19 years of age, attending district school, and also the academy at Denmark, N. Y. At 19 he went to Rome, N. Y., and made an engagement to learn the sash, blind and door-making trade. From 1856 to 1860 was in Chicago, and in September of that year he returned to Goshen. He here engaged in the liquor trade, and has remained in that vocation until the present time. Mr. Parsons made money rapidly, and at one period was the possessor of an ample fortune. He erected the finest building in Goshen, namely, Masonic Hall, on Main street, which stands to-day a monument of his enterprise and good taste. Mr. Parsons was elected a member of the Common Council of Goshen, from the first ward, in 1878, and is now serving the third year in that capacity. He is a mem- ber of the order of the Knights of Pythias. He has the advantage among his fellows of being a man of fine personal appearance and of urbane and generous nature, qualities that make him popular as a purveyor in his particular line and among the constituents of his ward. His place is the resort of the respectable and order-loving portion of the citizens of Goshen and vicinity.
Rev. W. O. Pierce, D. D., was born at New Haven, Hamilton Co., Ohio, Oct. 28, 1835; entered Wilmington (Ind.) Seminary in 1855, and graduated at the Ohio Wesleyan University in 1859; was engaged in teaching up to 1865, in which time he was Presi- dent of Morris Hill (Ind.) College; entered the ministry of the M. E. Church in 1865, in which relation he filled the office of Pastor until 1875, when he was elected Professor of Greek and Hebrew in the Illinois Wesleyan University at Bloomington, which position he resigned to re-enter the work of the regular pastorate. He is now (1880) stationed as Pastor over the Goshen M. E. Church.
With a great fondness for language he has acquainted himself with the elements of four of the modern languages, viz .: German,
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French, Spanish and Italian; and five of the Shemitic languages, Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, Chaldee and Samaritan. He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Cornell College in 1878.
William D. Platter is a native of Ross county, Ohio, and was born Sept. 14, 1832. His parents were George and Ann (Andrews) Platter, who removed with their family to this county in 1835. They settled 12 miles from Goshen; for five miles of that distance they were obliged to ent a road through the heavy timber. Their first house was made after the fashion of an Eastern sugar camp, with one side open, and a large log heap in front by which to warm themselves and do their cooking. Their bedstead consisted of poles placed the entire length of the cabin, a little above the floor, answer- ing for two pair of beds, the parties lying feet to feet. This was in the thick timber, and grubbing, picking, chopping, etc. must be done before a hill of corn could be planted. This they did by toil- some labor. After working in various lines of business, Mr. Platter in 1854, originated the Goshen Pump Manufactory. His first pumps were made as follows: He would go out, cut down a tree and hew it to the proper size, and bring it to his little shop and bore it. In this way he would make two or three pumps, and then proceed to sell them. His trade increased, and he employed some hands to assist him. It grew better and better, until when he sold ont in 1879, his annual sales amounted to $90,000. He now owns 972 acres of valuable land, besides a magnificent residence in Goshen, and a great deal of other property in the city. He was married June 15, 1852, to Miss Mary Stutsman, a very estimable lady, who died Oct. 8, 1879. Mr. Platter is a worthy member of the Reform Church of Goshen. In politics he is a Republican.
Perry C. Purl, who with his brother owns a fine farm on the ontskirts of the city of Goshen (his residence being in the city), was born in Goshen Jan. 24, 1842. He is thus one of the few natives ofthe place who have arrived at manhood and are now actively identified with the business and interests of the locality. He was the son of Elias and Lavina (Francisco) Purl. His father came to Goshen about 1834, and stopped here the first winter. He afterward settled on the farm the sons now occupy. The origi- nal farm comprised 157 acres, to which the sons have added suf- ficient to make a domain of 175 acres. Mr. Purl remained on the farın with the father till he died in 1872, and then assumed the man- agement of the property with his brother, Wm. W. Pnrl, the mother remaining with them. The brothers began the improvement of horse-stock in Jannary, 1879, an enterprise that has made them well known throughout the county. They imported the first Clydes- dale stallion owned in this vicinity. This fine animal, who bears the suggestive cognomen "Time of Day," was reared by John Hen- derson, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and cost $2,000. The Purls have several other fine stallions, and are doing much for the improvement of horses in Elkhart and the surrounding counties. They also are contemplating the introduction and breeding of fine-blood sheep
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upon their premises. Their property lies largely within the limits of the city of Goshen, and is consequently valuable.
P. N. Reitzell was born in Franklin county, Pa., Feb. 14, 1824. His parents died when he was bnt five years old, and he was then " tossed from pillar to post," with no guardian or friends. He attended school but 90 days, and then paid his board and tuition. He learned the blacksmith trade when quite yonng. He soon after learned the art of boring rifles in guns, which he followed until the war. He is also a natural machinist. He was married Oct. 18, 1848, to Miss Elizabeth Hentzell, by whom he has had 5 children; but 1 is living, Clara. Mr. R. now works in the Walker mannfac- tory. Mr. Reitzell's family are members of the Baptist Church.
Samuel A. Rodibaugh .- This enterprising young farmer is a native of this county, and was born Oct. 24, 1850. His parents were Samuel and Anna (Bowman) Rodibaugh, natives near Day- ton, Ohio. Mr. R. was raised on a farm, and now resides on the old homestead, sec. 33, Elkhart tp. His parents were early settlers here. There was an Indian camping ground just in front of the house which he now occupies. He was married, Sept. 24, 1874, to Miss Martha Leedy, daughter of John Leedy. They have 4 chil- dren, Edith, Blanche, Florence and Vera.
Ernst A. Salathee was born in Ebersdorf, near Lyons, France, May 25, 1829. His father's name was Ernst W. Salathee and his mother's maiden name was Adelaide Hess. He was two years of age when his parents moved from France and settled in Newsalz, Silesia, Germany. There he attended school, and entered Hilder- sheim College when he was 15 years of age, and graduated at that institution at the age of 17. At this time he began employment in a store in Newsalz. In 1846 he came to this country, his father having preceded him. He landed in New York, and from there went to Bethlehem, Pa., a Moravian town. He remained there three or four years, and taught school, and was employed for some time in the deputy recorder's office in Easton. From there he went to Akron, Ohio. At this place he was employed as clerk in a store, and taught penmanship. At length he took up the art of ornamental painting. This he continued for several years, both in Akron and after he came to Goshen. Since arriving here he has, besides ornamental painting, followed the employment of clerk, and also has been engaged in the drug business. At this writing he occupies the position of deputy recorder, having filled that office for several months past. He owns 40 acres of land outside the city, which employs the interims of official labor. Mr. Salathee was married about 20 years since, in Ohio, to Miss Ann K. Latimer, by whom he has 5 children now living, 2 sons and 3 daughters. Only one of these children is married, a daughter, to Mr. Geo. Inbody.
Christian H. Schaefer is one of the most prosperous merchants in Goshen. He was born in Ottenstein, in the Dukedom of Brunswick, Germany, July 14, 1826. His father's name was Fred- erick Schaefer, and his mother's name before marriage was Wilhel-
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mina Giesman. Mr. Schaefer spent his boyhood at home, and attended the primary schools of his native place. In his 14th year he was confirmed in the Lutheran Church. Before he was 18 years of age he served an apprenticeship at the blacksmith's trade; after that he traveled as a journeyman blacksmith, and thus visited different parts of Germany and England. During the revolution of 1848 Mr. Schaefer joined the fortunes of the revolutionists of Germany, and was taken prisoner by the Prussians, but was released the same year, when he enlisted in the regular army. He was a soldier from 1848 to 1851, and experienced much campaign- ing and hard fighting in Schleswig-Holstein. He was discharged from the service in 1853, and soon thereafter emigrated to America. Landing in New York, he remained there a short time, and then journeyed westward, stopping at Ft. Wayne, where he found employment in a hotel. He also worked there at his trade a por- tion of the time during his stay. He came to Goshen in 1855. In 1856 he was married to Miss Christiana Gall, who has presented him with 2 sons and 1 danghter. He worked at blacksmithing till 1861, when his health failed and he embarked in the grocery and produce business. He is now doing a thriving business in the dry-goods line. He is a member of the Masonic order, and in poli- ties is a Democrat. He was elected a member of the Common Council in 1874, and City Treasurer in 1880, and the latter office he now holds. Mr. Schaefer is one of the substantial and enterprising men of Goshen, a man of liberal and kindly impulses, and in all' respects an excellent citizen.
Isaac A. Simmons, attorney at law, of Goshen, was born Dec. 28, 1845, in Miami county, Ohio. He was the son of Andrew and Mary A. (Weatherhead) Simmons. His father was a farmer, and came to Elkhart county in 1847, who, after several years of indus- trions management of his farm and nurture of his family, departed this life in 1861. Isaac remained at home until 1863, when he enlisted in the First Indiana Regiment, which was ordered to the Department of the Gulf, and went first to New Orleans, and was placed under command of Gen. N. P. Banks. With his regiment Mr. Simmons accompanied the Red River expedition, and was in all the engagements and captures of towns along that stream toward Shreveport. He was also in Arkansas, and participated in the bat- tles of Marksville Plains and Yellow Bayou. On Jan. 10, 1866, he was honorably discharged, and returned to Goshen. He soon after entered the Goshen Collegiate Institute as a student, of which Prof. Butler was principal and Prof. Ellwood associate principal. He spent two years here, when he became a student of the law department in the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He had previously read law under the preceptorship of Wilson & Osborn, and had taught schools in the intervals of study at the Collegiate Institute. He returned from the university, and was married in June, 1869, to Miss Jennie Mckibben, of Goshen, who has pre- sented him a son and a daughter. About this time he was admitted
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to the Bar, and went into law practice in Goshen, and has since continued his professional labors here. He was Deputy Prosecut- ing Attorney for this district during six years, closing in the spring of 1880, and during his terms of service managed the State pros- ecutions and legal business connected therewith in Elkhart county. Mr. Simmons is a member of the Odd Fellows order, and also that of the Knights of Honor. He has recently had the misfortune to lose the estimable partner of his joys and sorrows, who died Jan. 13, 1880, an affliction which has drawn a dark zone across his life pathway, and tinged his future with a somber shade.
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